Prior to the September Comedy Central taping, O’Neal told THR that he had yet to meet the former “Two and a Half Men” actor.

“The entertainment world as well as the world at large lost a brilliant man today,” Sheen wrote on his WhoSay page. “Patrice had that rare ‘light’ around him and inside of him. I only knew him for the few days leading up to the Roast. Yet I will forever be inspired by his nobility, his grace and his epic talent.”

“My tears today are for the tremendous loss to his true friends and loving family,” he concluded.

O’Neal died following complications from a stroke at 41-years-old. The Boston native suffered from diabetes, with health complications from his weight making up the majority of jabs at the Comedy Central Roast where he was on hand to skewer the former Two and a Half Men actor. On the red carpet, O’Neal told The Hollywood Reporter that he hadn’t yet met Sheen, and explained why the Rockstar from Mars wouldn’t be an easy target.

Fellow Roaster Jeffrey Ross -- true to form -- acknowledged the news with a joke.

“Sad to hear about the passing of Ed O’Neal, a great actor,” he tweeted. “Wish I knew him better. #denial.”

In September of 2010, the Comedy Central Roast family lost another member, Greg Giraldo, who died after overdosing on prescription pills. He was found by police officers in a Hyatt Hotel room in New Brunswick, New Jersey.